Dabry removed the pan of liquid from the heat. Pouring it into a bowl, he whisked it with a tiny mechanical stirrer till it frothed. He decanted it into a ceramic mug and sprinkled a colorless power over the surface. Wherever a grain touched, the foam bloomed into a multitude of colors, lines arrowing out from the spot where the mote had touched the white mass.

“Pretty,” Niko said approvingly. “But how does it taste?”

He nudged the cup toward her and she took a sip. “Ah,” she said in a surprised tone, and then took another sip, and another, as though she could not help herself, and drained the cup to the dregs.

She set the cup down and licked foam from her lips, chasing the last sweetness with her tongue. “Why does this Orb matter to everyone so much, Dabry? We’re serving at full capacity as it is. Yes, it’ll speed things up, but everyone acts as though it’s life or death. I haven’t seen Gio this intense since we left the Hive Mind.”

“You’ve answered yourself there.”

“How so?”

“Since we left the Hive Mind, the biggest challenge Gio has faced is how to most efficiently chop a mirepoix or braise a protein block. Same for the rest of them. Lassite at least had the task you set him with learning all the ins and outs of etiquette. But Thorn and Talon spend all their free hours playing warball, and Skid’s fucked her way through half the station. Even you, sir, if you’ll excuse my presumptuousness, seem to be getting a bit stir-crazy now again, which usually manifests in you holing up in your office with a fifth of something containing a notably high alcohol content and a book you’ve already read fifty times. At least. It’s about time we had a challenge.”

His vehemence surprised her. “It’s not as though we don’t still drill, every once in a while,” she murmured. “Part of the ultimate plan involves everyone keeping their skills sharp.”

“When was the last time you drilled? Everyone’s lazy, except for the twins, and that’s because if they didn’t get their daily action, they’d go crazy and start mauling each other.”

“All right, all right, you’ve convinced me. Striving for the Orb is worth going all out for.” She paused. “It’s just,” she said, hating the edge of hesitation in her voice.

“Yes?”

“Can we do it, do you think? So much could go wrong. Milly’s the only one who’s worked in another restaurant, and even there only in desserts. Are we just playing at this?”

His eyebrows rose. “Of course we’re not.” He reached over to touch her arm. “We’re Captain Niko’s crack team, and there’s no stopping us.”

She grimaced but laughed. “All right then.”